The Zenithal Epoch

Akritus

Akritus is the planet upon which the Zenithal Epoch series and related fiction takes place. It is the third planet of ten orbiting the star Chalkeion, itself orbited by the moon Metra and the asteroid belt known as the Adamantine Regiment.

Unknown to the planet’s entire population, Akritus is an artificial planet deliberately designed to resemble Earth during its Anthropocene period by incredibly powerful, intergalactic beings. These beings observe Akritus from far away and are studying the unknown effects of magic on the development of an Earth-like world, particularly its evolutionary and cultural development. Akritus is the only planet in the known universe in which magic is a naturally occurring phenomenon, and is inhabited by a Type I Kardashev civilization. Akritus is home to a wide variety of lifeforms, including creatures minimally changed from their Earth seed species such as humans and wolves, new species derived from seed species such as elves and dragons, and non-carbon based lifeforms that arose on the planet as a consequence of its development, known as elementals. In addition to the above creatures, small numbers of fiends and celestials may inhabit Akritus for short periods of time. In its short time of habitation, Akritus’ civilizations have achieved rapid development, matching Earth’s human’s development in centuries and even surpassing it in some cases, though with this rapid development has come great strife, most notably the events of the Rebel Century.

Aktirus has one single landmass traditionally separated into three continents: The equally-sized continents of Anremar to the northwest and Guresh to the southwest, and Lyshian to the east, roughly the size of Anremar and Guresh combined. In the center of the three continents lies the inland Kratein sea, a perfectly circular ocean that geologists speculate was formed by a massive asteroid impact in the planet’s distant past.